• FreeAdvice has a new Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, effective May 25, 2018.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our Terms of Service and use of cookies.

id like to sue a court officer. advice please and tia

Accident - Bankruptcy - Criminal Law / DUI - Business - Consumer - Employment - Family - Immigration - Real Estate - Tax - Traffic - Wills   Please click a topic or scroll down for more.

syb

Junior Member
heres the story: downtown brooklyn looking for a spot finally found an empty spot and took it. due to vehicles double parked i had to maneuver in the only way in, namely backwards. now not believing my good luck at finding such a prime spot i went over to a nearby "officer" to see if my spot indeed is a good spot. no he says its reserved for official vehicles. im parked in front of the brooklyn supreme court. ok no problem ill move. then he looks at my car backwards and demads to see my license and registration. my license is lost i explain to him so he takes my passport instead. officer asks for passport then i give passport. but now hes calling police and its evident he is no police officer but a court officer. still he wont release my passport. police arrive, survey the scene and write out 2 tickets 1 for being backwards and 1 for operating without a license which in the process we discover is also recently expired. now the police officer says i am not permitted to drive away but he instructs the court officer to not tow my vehicle till 5 pm giving me a few hours to restore my license or find someone to drive it for me. my friend arrived 4ish car was towed.

can i sue the court officer (or court) for the cost of the tickets and the cost to take my car out of impound? if he hadn't held onto my passport this would have all been avoided, was he allowed to take and hold onto my passport?

also the court officer demeanor was unprofessional and he seemed racially motivated, how can i file a complaint? any advice please, thankYou
 


Just Blue

Senior Member
heres the story: Downtown brooklyn looking for a spot finally found an empty spot and took it. Due to vehicles double parked i had to maneuver in the only way in, namely backwards. Now not believing my good luck at finding such a prime spot i went over to a nearby "officer" to see if my spot indeed is a good spot. No he says its reserved for official vehicles. Im parked in front of the brooklyn supreme court. Ok no problem ill move. Then he looks at my car backwards and demads to see my license and registration. My license is lost i explain to him so he takes my passport instead. Officer asks for passport then i give passport. But now hes calling police and its evident he is no police officer but a court officer. Still he wont release my passport. Police arrive, survey the scene and write out 2 tickets 1 for being backwards and 1 for operating without a license which in the process we discover is also recently expired. Now the police officer says i am not permitted to drive away but he instructs the court officer to not tow my vehicle till 5 pm giving me a few hours to restore my license or find someone to drive it for me. My friend arrived 4ish car was towed.

Can i sue the court officer (or court) for the cost of the tickets and the cost to take my car out of impound? If he hadn't held onto my passport this would have all been avoided, was he allowed to take and hold onto my passport?

Also the court officer demeanor was unprofessional and he seemed racially motivated, how can i file a complaint? Any advice please, thankyou
q4p:)
****************************.....
 

Just Blue

Senior Member
i spoke with an attorney he said its not worth his time. in question is about 400 dolalrs his time is 450 an hour.
Well then! There you go. An Attorney said is wasn't worth his time.

If you would like to sue pro se then you should google your state and city statutes regarding this matter. :)
 

syb

Junior Member
Well then! There you go. An Attorney said is wasn't worth his time.

If you would like to sue pro se then you should google your state and city statutes regarding this matter. :)
what im asking here is if my argument is sound and then how should i go about filing the suit? who would be the defendant in this case?
 

Ohiogal

Queen Bee
what im asking here is if my argument is sound and then how should i go about filing the suit? who would be the defendant in this case?
No your argument is NOT sound. YOu broke the law in at least two ways. The court officer did nothing wrong. The fact that you didn't like being caught at breaking the law is YOUR issue.
 

syb

Junior Member
No your argument is NOT sound. YOu broke the law in at least two ways. The court officer did nothing wrong. The fact that you didn't like being caught at breaking the law is YOUR issue.
is the court officer allowed to demand my id and hold onto it, much like a police officer?
 

Ohiogal

Queen Bee
is the court officer allowed to demand my id and hold onto it, much like a police officer?
You voluntarily relinquished it without questioning. Why would you do that? Maybe he was making a citizen's arrest. What type of court officer was he? A sheriff deputy? Another police officer that works in the court?
 

syb

Junior Member
You voluntarily relinquished it without questioning. Why would you do that? Maybe he was making a citizen's arrest. What type of court officer was he? A sheriff deputy? Another police officer that works in the court?
he is a simple security guard hired by the court and i relinquished my passport because i was under the impression he was a police officer. if a man in a blue uniform demands your id he is either a police officer or impersonating a police officer. was he allowed to demand my passport and was he allowed to hold onto it against my will?
 

sandyclaus

Senior Member
he is a simple security guard hired by the court and i relinquished my passport because i was under the impression he was a police officer. if a man in a blue uniform demands your id he is either a police officer or impersonating a police officer. was he allowed to demand my passport and was he allowed to hold onto it against my will?
He can ask you whatever he wants. YOU were the one who assumed he was a police officer with the authority to demand these things and expect you to comply. He did not represent himself as a police officer, so he cannot be charged for impersonating one.

This court officer held onto the passport you willingly gave him for as long as you allowed it. Your recourse? To call a REAL police officer, which wasn't in your best interests under the circumstances. When the one that the court office gave the passport to the police officer who they called, that ended any possible charges you think you might have has on them.

Grow up. You broke the law, and you're just pissed off that your own assumptions made an a$$ of you. You look bad and you're looking to place the blame for your own bad judgment on someone else. There is no case here. There is no one to sue to divert attention away from you. And nothing that happened here gives you a legal reason to challenge the tickets you earned. Pay up and move on.
 

BL

Senior Member
he is a simple security guard hired by the court and i relinquished my passport because i was under the impression he was a police officer. if a man in a blue uniform demands your id he is either a police officer or impersonating a police officer. was he allowed to demand my passport and was he allowed to hold onto it against my will?
Perhaps you were acting suspiciously by your actions and he was doing his job by calling the police.
 

justalayman

Senior Member
he is a simple security guard hired by the court and i relinquished my passport because i was under the impression he was a police officer. if a man in a blue uniform demands your id he is either a police officer or impersonating a police officer. was he allowed to demand my passport and was he allowed to hold onto it against my will?
I guess the janitors in the blue coveralls would be guilty of impersonating an officer then?

A blue uniform means one thing and one thing only;

he has on a blue uniform.



Unless he is wearing a police badge or has other insignia identifying him as a cop, he is neither a cop nor impersonating one.
 

Find the Right Lawyer for Your Legal Issue!

Fast, Free, and Confidential
data-ad-format="auto">
Top